Dry-cleaning machine



May 27, 1930. o. THIBAULT ET AL 1,760,218

DRY CLEANING MACHINE Filed April 1,, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 MEI 7W5 was:re /54a: 7

May 27, 1930. o. THIBAULT Er AL 1,760,218

DRY CLEANING MACHINE Filed April 1, 1929 2 SheetsSheet 2 Patented May27, 1930 1 UNETED STATES PATE'T OFFICE om ismn TI-IIBAULT Ann BonnierREID, or sAnnI'neo, CALIFORNIA DRY-CLEANING MACHINE Application filedApril 1, 1929. Serial No. 351,769.

Our invention relates to machines for dry cleaning clothes and otherarticles of wearing apparel, and it has for a purpose the provision ofwearing apparel.

It is also a purpose of our invention to provide a dry cleaning machinewhich is characterized by the functional relationship of a movable bodyupon which the articles to be cleaned are supported and adapted to bemoved in the presence of a cleaning liquid to circulate the liquidaround and through the articles, and a plurality of objects freelymovable and adapted to be actuated under moveinent of the body to act onthe articles to be cleaned in a manner to augment circulation of thecleaning liquid, and to otherwise aid in cleaning the articles.

A further purpose of our invention is the provision of a dry cleaningmachine which embodies a casing removably fitted in a frameand adaptedto contain a quantity of cleaning liquid, and a rotary drum rotatable inthe easing and removable therefrom to permit thorough cleaning of thedrum and casing when required.

WVe will describe only one form of dry cleaning machine embodying ourinvention, and will then point out the novel features 111 claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a View showing in side elevation one form of dry cleaningmachine embodying our invention with the upper section of the casing inopen posltion; .Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on Y the line2-2 of Fig. 1;

which it is mounted in the form of the machine; and I Fig. 6 is a detailperspective view of one of the bearing blocks. p

In carrying out our invention, we provide a, frame consisting of two endmembers each of which includes a pair of legs 15 secured detachably to across-plate 16, the plate being of substantial width, as illustrated inFig. 1, and having bolted or otherwise secured thereto a bar 17 whichconstitutes a bracket for supporting other parts of the machine. As

plate 16 are cut away atcorresponding points to accommodate a block 18having an opening 19 therethrough so as to provide a bearing for a shaftto be described hereinafter. As clearly illustrated in Fig. 6, thisbearing block 18 is flanged, as indicated at 20, to provide lips forconfining the block'against horizontal displacement from the frame,although the block may be removable vertically from the frame to allowremoval of the shafts which the two bearing blocks receive when it isdesired to remove the drum upon which the shafts are fixed. e

The frame is adapted to removably receive a casing including a lowersection 21 and an upper section 22, the latter section being hingedlyconnected, as indicated at 23, to the lower section so that it can bemoved to cocupy open or closed position. The twosections 21 and 22, whenin closed position, cooperate toprovide a casing of cylindrical form inwhich'a drum is adapted to be received.

As illustrated in Figs. 1, 2, and 5, the upper edges of'the oppositeends of the lower section 21 of the casing are provided with L- shapedflanges 24 which, in the applied position of'the casing section to theframe, are adapted to engage over the upper edges of the plate 16 of theframe in order to support the casing section as a unit on the frame. Themanner in which one flange 24 engages the corresponding plate 16 is bestillustrated in from the frame when cesired, in order that the casing asa whole may be disassociated with respect to the frame members tofacilitate disassembling of the entire machine incident to storage orshipment.

The machine also includes a drum generally indicated at D, and which isadapted to be housed within the casing when the two sections of thelatter are in closed position. This I drum D is illustrated in Figs. 2and 3, as comterthe drum.

hereinafter.

opening through which articles to be cleaned,

prising end heads 25 of disk form connected by a circular series ofslats 26. The slats are slightly spaced provide restricted interveningslots 27 through which the cleaning fluid contained in the lower casingsect-ion may en- The inner surfaces of the slats 26 are transverselycorrugated, as indicated at 28, in order to provide surfaceprotuberances on the inner periphery of the drum, which function inmanner tobe described The drum is provided with an or have been cleaned,may be inserted or removed, and this opening is controlled by a door 29which constitutes a part of the peripheral. portion of the drum, and isconstructed by sectioning certain of the slats 26 and connecting themovable sections of the slats b 1 the leaves of a .,air of hinges 30 ofthepiano type. Qn a stationary part of the drum are mounted a pair ofspring-pressed latches 31 normally engaging the projecting ends of the'ges and manually movable to diseng e such ends to permit movement ofthe door co open position.

To mount the drum D for rotative movement within. the casing of themachine, we provide a pair of cleats 32 (Fig. 2) secured to the outerfaces of the heads 25 so as to extend diametrically thereof. and withtheir medial portions provided with hubs in one of which is secureda'stub axle 33, and in the other a shaft 34-. The two shafts arejournaled in the bearing blocks 18, with the shaft 34 of such length asto project from the bearing and the plate 16 of the adjacent frame inorder that it may be operatively connected to a source power (notshown), or provided with a crank (not shown), by which the drum may bemanually rotated. Thus, the drum is supported by the shafts for rotativemovement withi the casing, and when the upper section of the casing isin closed posiface of the articles.

tion as illustrated in Fig. 2 it provides a closed housing for the drum.In practice, the lower casing section 21 is adapted to contain asuitable cleaning liquid which seeks its own level in the drum byentering the latter through the slots 27 as has been described.

F or the purpose of augmenting circulation of the cleaning liquid in thedrum in respect to the articles to be cleaned contained in the drum, andto otherwise promote the rapid and thorough cleaning of the articles, weprovide a multiplicity of objects such as the balls 35 3). These ballsare formed preferably wood, and of aweight sufficient to produce thedesired motions in respect to the articles to be cleaned whenand underrotative movement of the drum. 4 I

The'operation of the machine is as follows:

With the articles to be cleaned positioned in the bottom of the drum, asillustrated in g 3, and so as to be submerged in the cleaning liquid,and the balls 35 in position on top of the articles, let it be assumedthat the drum is rotated in a clockwise direction as indicated by thearrow. Under such movereturn, liquid precipitates onto the articles,

thus producing what may be termed a rinsing action that serves togreatly aid in removing the dirt from the articles. The balls 85constantly roll on the surface ofthe articles producing a gentle rubbingand depress.

ing action on the articles to further circulate the cleaning liquidaround and through the articles. Of course, the articles themselves areelevated in the drum by reason of the rising corrugated slats, but theyare not elevated to any appreciable degree before gravity acts to returnthem to the bottom of the drum so that the balls which tend to move withthe liquid are caused to roll on the sur- The restricted or relativelynarrow slots 27 between the slats restrict drainage of the cleaningliquid back into the casing and thus at all times retains in the drum aquantity of liquid sufficient to be elevated by the corrugations of theslatstues the machine has been found to be par ticularly useful in therapid and thorough cleaning of extremely delicate garments and gloves.

Should it be desired to clean the drum and the interior of the casing,the drum can be readily removed from the casing and the easing from theframe, as will be manifest from a consideration of the precedingdescription of the construction and association of the parts enumerated.

Although we have herein shown and described only one form of drycleaning machine embodying our invention, it is to be understood thatvarious changes and modifications may be made herein without departingfrom the spirit of the invention and the splrit and scope of theappended claims.

We claim: 1. In a machine of the character described, a frame havingcross members, bearings in the cross members, a casing having a lowersection and an upper section movable on the lower section to open andclose, extensions on the lower section engaging the cross members forsupporting the lower section within the frame, and a drum having shaftsengaging within the bearings for supporting the drum for rotativemovement within the casing.

2. In a machine of the character described, a frame, bearing membersremovably fitted in the frame, a casing having a lower section and anupper section movable on the lower section to open and close, extensionson the lower section engageable with the frame for suspending the lowersection within the 3 frame, and a drum having shafts engaging within thebearings for supporting the drum for rotative movement within thecasing.

3. In a machine of the character described, a frame having end plates,angle bars secured 5 to the plates, said plates and bars having openingstherein, bearing blocks disposed within the openings of said bars andplates, a casing having a lower section and an upper section movable onthe lower section to open 0 and close, flanges on the lower sectionengaging said plates for suspending the lower section within the frame,said flanges having cutaway portions to accommodate said bearing blocks,and a drum having shafts engag- 5 ing within the bearing blocks forsupporting the drum for rotative movement within the casing.

ONESIME THIBAULT. ROBERT REID.

